[Third Person's PoV]
"The amulet…" Batman said, his voice low and steady as he extended his gloved hand toward Danny and Robin.
Danny clung to Robin's side, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he looked at the towering figure in black. Despite his injuries, he straightened slightly, trying to appear more alert than he felt. "How do we know you're really Batman?" he asked, his tone edged with caution.
"What?" Robin blinked, glancing at Danny as though he had grown a second head. "Are you serious?" He turned back to Batman, his voice apologetic. "Sorry about that. You know how he gets when he's injured."
Danny didn't back down. "Hey, for all we know, that could be an assassin using a disguise or advanced tech, trying to trick us into handing over the amulet without lifting a finger. As Batman always says…" He deepened his voice dramatically, "Vigilance."
Batman gave a short nod of approval. "I appreciate the sentiment. Caution is wise. But if you're going to quote me, Danny, you should actually follow the advice."
Before either of them could react, Batman raised his hand, revealing the amulet. Danny's eyes widened.
"Wha—" Danny's hands immediately went to his pockets, patting himself down. A second later, he let out a resigned sigh and looked to Dick with a defeated frown. "He's the real deal."
Dick shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Obviously, who would be stupid enough to impersonate him"
Turning his attention back to Batman, Dick asked, "So, were you able to figure out why the League of Assassins was after it?"
"They intended to replicate its effects," Batman said, his tone grave. "Their plan was to create an army—dragon warriors infused with the same power—"
"Then they should have gotten a panda, am I right guys, haha" Danny said, raising a hand for a high five, seeing them both staring at him with a frown, he slowly lowered his hand, "You know…Kung Fu Panda… You said dragon warrior… No?"
Batman's expression darkened into a full-on scowl.
"Danny," he growled, voice sharp and low with warning.
Danny's smirk faltered instantly. "Sorry. If you knew how much pain I'm in right now, you'd appreciate the fact that I can still make jokes."
Batman's glare remained unwavering. "Don't interrupt."
Danny mimed zipping his lips shut and tossing away the key.
"As I was saying," Batman continued, with another sidelong glare at Danny, "the League believed the pendant held the key to unlocking a form of immortality—power beyond normal comprehension. With it, they hoped to forge an unstoppable army. A new age of assassins with the strength and resilience of dragons."
Danny hesitated, then cautiously raised his hand. Batman gave him a brief nod.
"How did they even find out about the pendant in the first place?" Danny asked, his tone more serious now. "Why suddenly go after it now?"
"Good question," Batman said, clearly pleased by the lack of sarcasm. "But unfortunately, I don't have a complete answer. Merlyn didn't have that level of information. If anyone knows the truth, it's Ra's al Ghul."
Batman turned to Dick just in time to see Danny's posture sway slightly. His eyelids drooped, his body slumping against Robin for support.
"Take him," Batman said softly but firmly. "He needs rest before he pushes himself into permanent damage."
"I'm fine…" Danny mumbled, barely conscious. "I'm the… epitome of health…"
Each time he blinked, it seemed to take longer for his eyes to reopen. He tried to speak again, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I can… help. Help repair the damage…"
Batman watched him closely, noting the strain in his voice, the guilt hiding behind the jokes. Now he understood—Danny's constant humor was just a defense mechanism; He was trying to make up for the aftermath, for the lives lost during his confrontation with Dragon Dinah.
"I have to help," Danny murmured. "Please… Let me help…"
His voice faded, and a moment later, his eyes rolled back as he slumped fully into unconsciousness.
"..."
"He's impressive," Dick said after a beat, voice tinged with quiet respect.
Batman raised an eyebrow, prompting Dick to elaborate.
"It's been what? Three months? Not even that. And he's already able to go toe-to-toe with members of the League of Shadows. In his human form, no less. While injured. I literally woke him up, and he jumped into the fight, saved me, held his own—and then passed out again. That's not normal. That's… remarkable."
Batman gave no outward reaction, but the words echoed in his mind. He agreed. Danny's growth was accelerating far beyond what he had expected.
"Get him back to safety," Batman ordered. "The League and I will handle the cleanup. You've both done enough."
Dick nodded, gently lifting Danny onto his back. He paused at the rooftop's edge, opening his mouth as if to say something more, but stopped. There was no need. Batman already understood.
Without another word, Dick fired his grappling gun and disappeared into the night sky.
…
Danny slowly began to stir, the light of the next morning pouring in through the hotel room's tall windows, casting golden rays across the bed. His eyelids fluttered open, his body aching as if he'd gone several rounds with a dragon…Which he did. Every inch of him throbbed, wrapped tightly in fresh bandages, the pain dull but constant—a quiet reminder of yesterday's battle.
He didn't move. He simply lay there, eyes fixed on the familiar ceiling of the hotel room, lost in a fog of exhaustion and pain… but mostly in thought. Guilt gnawed at the corners of his mind like a persistent itch that wouldn't go away.
Eventually, he turned his head slightly, just enough to catch sight of a tall figure sitting beside his bed. Bruce Wayne sat there silently, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed as if in meditation—or maybe just resting. The billionaire vigilante looked out of place in the warm morning light, his presence too stoic, too still. Danny blinked, unsure if he was dreaming.
He turned back toward the ceiling, debating whether to say anything. But before he could decide, Bruce's calm, familiar voice broke the silence.
"If you still want to rest, then rest," Bruce said, not moving an inch. "I understand if you're tired."
Danny's voice came out raspy. "How long have I been out?"
"Twelve hours," Bruce answered without hesitation.
Danny didn't turn to face him, instead letting his gaze linger on the ceiling. "Why are you sitting by my bedside like that? Don't you have anything better to do?"
Bruce opened his eyes. "You were thrashing in your sleep. Dick and I took shifts to keep an eye on you, make sure you didn't injure yourself any further."
There was a beat of silence before Danny groaned and rolled his head into the nearest pillow. "Ugh… that's humiliating."
Bruce didn't say anything, which somehow made it worse. Danny grumbled again. "Well, I'm awake now. You can go get your beauty sleep or… meditate, hang upside down or whatever it is you do."
Bruce remained seated. "I want you to know… it's not your fault."
Danny stilled. "What?"
"In your sleep," Bruce said evenly, "you kept mumbling. Apologizing. Asking for forgiveness."
Danny immediately grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his face, muffling a groan of pure embarrassment. "Just kill me now," he muttered, his voice dulled by fabric.
"Danny," Bruce said more seriously, "don't carry this weight on your shoulders. The lives lost yesterday... it wasn't your fault."
Danny slowly pulled the pillow away, revealing red eyes and a trembling lip. "Sure doesn't feel that way," he murmured. "I should have done more. I should've led the fight away from the city. I should've planned better, fought harder. If I hadn't been so careless, maybe people wouldn't have died. It was my fight. So it was my responsibility."
Bruce's expression didn't waver. "You're focusing only on the lives that were lost. But what about the lives you saved? If you hadn't drawn Dinah's attention, if you hadn't kept her focused on you, the casualties could have been double—maybe even triple. You don't carry this blame alone. It isn't yours to blame"
Danny scowled, his shoulders tightening. "What, are you going to blame Dinah? Say it was her fault? She wasn't in control—she didn't choose to become some dragon-possessed monster. She doesn't deserve to carry that burden."
Bruce shook his head. "I'm not blaming her. I know who she is. And I know she wasn't herself. But I am saying the fault doesn't lie solely with you."
Danny blinked, caught off guard. "Then who else?"
Bruce merely tilted his head as he answered. "Me. I share in that blame. You're under my care, Danny. You've been training under my guidance. That makes you my responsibility. And I should have prepared you better—for battles like this, for what to do when fighting such a large battle, for the emotional aftermath. I failed you by not doing that. I also had intel that suggested something was going to happen, and I didn't do enough to stop it."
Danny swung his legs over the side of the bed, sitting upright despite the protests of his sore muscles. "Now wait a minute, that isn't fair—"
"And blaming yourself is fair?" Bruce countered calmly, one eyebrow raised, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'm just following your logic."
Danny opened his mouth to argue but faltered. He let out a sigh, defeated. Bruce gave a small nod and stood, placing a hand briefly on Danny's head—a rare gesture of comfort from the Bat.
"Focus on recovering," he said, moving toward the door. It was quiet as he made his way towards the entrance of the room.
As Bruce's fingers touched the doorknob, Danny's voice stopped him.
"I was… dreaming of my parents," Danny said softly. "That's who I was apologizing to."
Bruce turned his head slowly, watching the boy—no, young man—sitting on the bed, his shoulders trembling slightly. He saw the pain etched across Danny's face, the weight of unspoken grief.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Bruce said gently. "If your parents could see you now... I think they'd be proud of the person you're becoming." His voice softened even more. "I know I am."
And with that, Bruce turned the handle, opened the door, and stepped out—leaving Danny in silence.
silent tears had begun falling onto the carpet below, small droplets hitting against the ground.
The tears continued to fall.
Not loud.
Not sobs.
Just quiet drops that traced down his face, splashing onto the carpet below as Danny sat hunched at the edge of the bed.
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3